Exploitative Tricks Of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

Antibiotic treatment may compromise the innate immunity of the intestine, a Nature study suggests. The finding may help explain why treating people with antibiotics can lead to increased infection with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and points to potential therapies that may solve the problem.

Eric Pamer and colleagues found that antibiotic-treated mice had lower amounts of an intestinal antimicrobial protein, RegIII gamma, which can kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE). So therapies that increase levels of this protein may fend off infection with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, they suggest.

Infections caused by highly antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as VRE, are an increasing menace in hospitalized patients. It's been assumed that antibiotics kill off many different types of intestinal bacteria, opening up a nutrient-rich niche in which resistant bacteria can thrive. This study, however, suggests an alternative explanation whereby resistant bacteria exploit antibiotic-induced innate immune deficits.